The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by using her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.